Lions Club Gives People With Special Needs the Proud American Days Experience

Although Proud American Days has been running for 28 years, the New Lenox Lions Club celebrated the 10th anniversary of sharing the experience with people who have special needs.

On Friday, an army of volunteers helped carry out Special Needs Day and gave more than 500 people from the area a chance to revel in the carnival rides and a day of free food and drink. At least 350 of them were people with special needs, and they were joined by family and friends.

The Lions Club had help from the New Lenox Fire Protection District and New Lenox Police Department, among other volunteers and sponsors.

The event requires an army of volunteers and generous donations from sponsors. The event was organized by Lions Club member Lynn Eckhardt.

"Through his tremendous sefforts, this event goes off without a hitch," Lions Club President Steve Kuyawa said.

People with special needs are safer because the three-hour event was closed to the public, said Teresa Montemayor, a Tinley Park resident who works as a special education teacher and volunteers with the Lincoln-Way Special Recreation Association.

"It allows people of all abiilities to participate at the same time," she said. "That makes it enjoyable."

Recreation Supt. Keith Wallace has been with the Special Recreation Association for six years and said the Special Needs Day is a great opportunity for his clients and their families, especially because it's free.

"It gets more people from our program involved because their families can't (always) afford other events we do," Wallace said.

The Entertainment Tent was the sight of the Special Needs Day dance party, complete with a live DJ and Lions Club staff handing out pop and water. Based on the lines, the most popular rides apperead to be the Ferris wheel, carosel, a hang glider ride and "Himalaya" spinning roller coaster.